The "Mosque At Ground Zero"

As a World Religions teacher, I've been closely following the debate over the so-called "mosque at ground zero." The debate has generated much heat and little understanding. I'm glad that the Roman Catholic Archbishop and Governor of New York have asked those involved to lower the volume.

There is much misinformation about this issue. First, what is proposed is not a mosque, but an Islamic Cultural Center with a prayer room. Secondly, this building is not at ground zero-- it's two blocks away. The question I have for those who oppose this as "too close" is: How far away is ok? 4 blocks? 6 blocks? 10 blocks?

What distresses me is the anti-Islam rhetoric. Because of the actions of 20 Islamic extremists, a religion with 1.5 billion followers is being stigmatized. That's just plain wrong. I wouldn't want Christianity judged by Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber and Roman Catholic. I don't think residents of Oklahoma City would have opposed building a Roman Catholic Church two blocks from the Federal Building that was bombed.

America was founded on the principle of religious freedom and I support the freedom of any religion to build a building wherever they want (if it conforms to local laws and ordinances). The argument that building an Islamic Center near ground zero rubs salt in the wounds of those who are grieving for lost loved ones doesn't hold. Islam is not responsible for this horrendous attack-- terrorists who distorted Islam were.

A better model for religious freedom and tolerance exists at the "second" ground zero site on 9-11: the Pentagon. There, just a few hundred feet from this ground zero, a weekly Islamic service is held. I'm proud that there are persons of reason and tolerance among our military. They are lighting the path of freedom for the rest of us.

"Natural" Evil

Early this morning we had strong thunderstorms pass through our area. This brought much needed rain that ended a dry spell. Most of us were glad to see the rain bring its nourishing water to grass, plants and trees.

Yet, this same weather system caused massive destruction and 15 deaths in Tennessee yesterday. When weather becomes violent and murderous, theologians put it into the category of "natural" evil. While moral evil results from human choices, natural evil is the result of natural processes that harm humans.

Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and famines all are examples of evil. When we're the victims of these forces of nature, we often ask, "Why?" Sometimes this question takes the form of, "Why did God allow this to happen to me?"

Is God to blame for natural evil? If God has the power to prevent a natural disaster from happening, why doesn't God do it?

I don't believe that God sends natural disasters; nor do I believe that God can/will intervene to prevent them. God created the natural processes in such a way that there is a greater balance of good over evil. The same forces that enable life to exist at all can come together in ways that destroy life.

I am arguing that there is a freedom in nature analogous to the freedom humans have to make moral choices. God's creative power is to bring order out of chaos and that process continues. Forces of nature can freely come together in chaotic ways that result in human suffering and death. Yet, if creation didn't have this freedom, existence would be very different than it, in fact, is. The restriction of freedom would lead to the constriction of life and its possibilities for good.

Learning From the Past

Is it possible to learn from the mistakes of the past? The late historian Barbara Tuchman struggled with this question in her book, The March of Folly. In this sweeping journey through history she looked at three wars: Trojan, American Revolution and Vietnam.

What she discovered was that the same mistakes were repeated by those in power. Her conclusion: "We can only muddle on as we have done in those same three or four thousand years, through patches of brilliance and decline, great endeavor and shadow." To Tuchman, human history is a tragic "march of folly." Freud called this urge to repeat mistakes, "the repetition compulsion."

I have a somewhat more hopeful estimate of the human capacity to learn from the past. I believe we are not doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. However, if we are to break free from repeating past mistakes, we must become aware of them. Someone has said that those who aren't aware of the past are doomed to repeat it.

To honestly look at our mistakes and delve deeply into how and why we made them is a first step. The next step is to take positive action to deal with the issues at the root of our mistakes. This could take the form of a program of self-discipline, a 12 step group, or therapy. Spirituality can certainly help us change our life in positive ways. The values at the heart of spirituality-- honesty, compassion, self-discipline and gratitude-- can help us overcome the past.

Humans have been created with freedom. One of our great freedoms is to choose to break free of the power of the past. Freedom is like a muscle-- it must be exercised to become strong.

Freedom and Its Limitation

I've been rereading the story of Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden in Genesis chapters 2-3 in preparation for a Lenten study book I'm writing. What a marvelous story!

There are two trees in the center of the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God tells Adam (a generic Hebrew word meaning "the man" or "human") that he can eat of every tree in the garden except for this latter tree because he will "die."

Since we know the end of the story, the death from eating the fruit of this tree isn't physical death, but the "death" of harming one's relationship with God through disobedience.

A detail I noticed in this rereading was that Adam and Eve were given permission to eat of all trees, including the tree of life. What great freedom they are given! Their freedom has only one limitation: the prohibition of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

What I take from this story is that humans have been given an amazing amount of freedom. Yet, this freedom comes with the limitation of using it responsibly. When we are irresponsible with the exercise of our freedom, it is curtailed. In the Genesis story, the consequences for their misuse of their freedom is to leave the garden of Eden. Paradise lost.

This ancient story of freedom and its limitation is repeated again and again in our lives. Here's the good news. Even though Adam and Eve must leave the garden, God doesn't leave them. God is with them as they toil to survive. So is God with us in our daily living even when we are irresponsible.

Snowshoeing!

The huge storm that hit the Northeast dumped over 10 inches of snow where I live. So yesterday I went snowshoeing for the first time. I got the snowshoes last Christmas, but there wasn't enough snow to use them until now.

Snowshoeing is a blast! I went to Woodland Nature Preserve, strapped on my snowshoes and headed into the forest. One great thing about snowshoeing is that you don't have to worry about trails (if you're not where there are cliffs or crevasses). In fact, it's harder to walk on packed or uneven snow. So, trailblazing is a fun necessity.

I loved being able to make my own trail through the woods. I felt the heady joy of freedom to go wherever I pleased. Snow transforms a dull, brown landscape into one of white beauty.

Somehow, snow makes you feel like a child again. The spontaneity of trailblazing also has a childlike quality to it. Snowshoeing was like playing! I felt deep gratitude at being able to enjoy nature's gift of fresh snow.